Shredding rotor



E. C. SMALL SHREDDING ROTOR Dec. 18, 1951 Filed April 6, 1949 2 SHEETS--SHEET l /ZFU INVENToR. 5074// Dec. 18, 1951 E. C. SMALL SHREDING ROTOR 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 Filed April 6, 1949 AABY Patented Dec. 18, 1951 SHREDDING ROTOR Elmer C. Small, Ncodesha, Kans., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Archer-Daniels Midland Company, a corporation of Delaware Application April 6, 1949, Serial No. 85,769

1 Claim. l

This invention relates to material treating apparatus and particularly to the art of preserving valuable elements of organic materials such as growing crops and by. way of example, reference will be had throughout the following specification primarily to such stock food as ground, dehydrated alfalfa, meal or dehydrated alfalfa in pellet form, wherein the carotene and corresponding vitamin A content, is subject to loss during storage.

In the conventional dehydrating processes used for treating alfalfa and like crops, it is necessary to heat the same to a relatively high temperature during the dehydrating process in order to remove the liquid content thereof, and this high heating step is necessary irrespective of the fact that the crop is usually fed into the dehydrator only after the same has been chopped in relatively small particles. The stems of the crop are usually relatively hard and tend to insulate the interior thereof within the dehydrator, thereby requiring high temperatures to remove the liquid therefrom.

This problem results in considerable expense in the process because of the large amount of fuel that is consumed. Furthermore, the equipment that is used, must be replaced or repaired periodically because of the damage that is caused by the extremely high temperatures. Finally, when the finished product emanates from the dehydrator, ready for packaging or storing at a high temperature, the carotene and vitamin A content thereof, is practically entirely lost before ultimate consumption.

It is accordingly, the primary object of the present invention to provide a shredder for treating the chopped crop prior to introduction thereof into the dehydrator, the shredder being formed and operable to slice or pulverize the relatively hard shell or hull of the crop, all to the end that as the same is dehydrated, the interior of each individual stalk, can be more easily heated and the liquid content removed therefrom with much lower temperatures.

Another important object of the present invention is the provision of a shredder for the aforesaid use, having a hollow body through which the crop is directed and having provided therewithin a rotor that has a large number of specially formed hammers operable to act upon the crop by slicing or shredding the hull thereof.

Another importantobject of the present invention is to provide a shredder wherein a number of differing hammers are provided for acting upon the crop at differing angles, certain of the 2 hammers being formed to create a suction within the cylinder itself, whereby to force the material from the inlet opening to the outlet opening of the device.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a shredder that has its inlet and outlet openings in opposed offset relationship so that the crop is positively fully treated before it emanates from the shredder; to provide a Shredder having means therewithin for maintain- ,ing the walls thereof free of the crop by a scraping action thereupon; and to provide a shredder or pulverizer that is inexpensive to manufacture, simple in its operation and not likely to get out of order after long continued use.

Other more minor objects will be made clear or become apparent as the following specification progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a crop shredding and pulverizing mechanism made in accordance with my present invention, parts being broken away to reveal details of construction.

Fig. 2 is a substantially central, vertical crosssectional View thereof.

Fig. 3 is a transverse, cross-sectional view taken on line III--lII of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a transverse, cross-sectional view taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the' arrows.

Fig. 5 is -a detailed, perspective View showing one of the hammers forming a part of the rotor.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another type of hammer used with and forming a part of the rotor; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a third type of hammer for the rotor mechanism.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings, there is illustrated a pair of spaced apart foundation members I0 and I2, each of which has secured to its uppermost face a support I4.

Supports i4 in turn are each provided with a hollow housing I6 that has contained therein a bearing I8. An elongated shaft 20 interconnects and is rotatably mounted within the bearings lB. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the shaft 29 extends a distance beyond one of the housings I6 for connection with any suitable prime mover not shown.

A cylinder, broadly designated by the numeral 22, has a pair of spaced apart substantially vertical end walls 24 and 2B respectively, and each of these end walls 24 and 26 has an out-turned flange 28 for securing the cylinder 22 to the spaced supporting members I4. An inlet opening 3U is formed in the top of the cylinder 22 next adjacent the end Wall 24 and this inlet opening extends into the interior of cylinder 22 tangentially and in the direction of rotation of the shaft 20 as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3. An outlet opening 32 is also formed in the housing 22 at the bottom thereof and next adjacent the end wall 26. As shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the outlet opening 32 is disposed tangentially relative to the axis of rotation of shaft 2D and away therefrom.

A plurality of circular, centrally perforated discs 34 are threaded upon the shaft 26 within the cylinder 22 and these discs 34 extend entirely from end wall 24 to the end wall 26, as shown in Figs. l and 2. Discs 34 are held in spaced apart relationship by spacers 36 that are also threaded upon the shaft 20.

to the shaft 20 as at 42 (Fig. 3), to prevent relf ative rotation between shaft 26 and the discs 34.

A plurality of elongated hammer pins 44 disposed substantially parallel with shaft 25, interconnect the discs 34 adjacent their circumference.

These hammer pins 44 rotatably receive a plu- :V

rality of hammers of the kind illustrated in detail in Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive. Standard hammers of the character shown in Fig. 5 and designated by the numeral 46, constitute an elongated bar having openings 48 near each end thereof, one of which receives a corresponding hammer 44. Openings 46 are provided to the end that the hammers 46 may be reversed if desired, whereby both ends may be utilized before discarding. The

standard hammers 46 havel their innermost ends disposed between a pair of discs 34 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and extend substantially half the entire length of the cylinder 22 adjacent the inlet opening 36. The remaining half of the'cylinder 22 adjacent outlet opening 32 is provided with fan-type hammers 5|! of the kind shown in Fig. 6.

Hammers 50 are essentially like hammers 46 in that they constitute an elongated bar having an opening 52 permitting rotative mounting thereof on the hammer pins 44. 50 has secured thereto by welding orotherwise, and upon one edge thereof adjacent its free end, a at plate or fan blade 54.

Fan blades 54 extend from the sides of the bar portion of hammers 50 in both directions and terminate at their innermost ends next adjacent the peripheries of discs 34.

Hammers 56 are formed and disposed to operate as Scrapers and also comprise an elongated vflat bar having an opening at one end thereof for receiving hammer pins 44. Such opening in the hammers 56 is bounded by an outwardly extending perforated boss 58 secured directly to one face thereof. The opening through boss 58 is of sufficient size as to permit threading the same upon the hammer pins 44 for free rotative movement thereon. Each wall 24 and 26 respectively, is provided with a wear plate 6l] provided with an opening 62 for clearing shaft 20, these plates 66 being otherwise imperforated to completely cover Each hammer 4 the innermost face of the corresponding wall 24 or 26.

Plates 60 are preferably formed from a material that will withstand wear more effectively than the walls 24 and 26 and are removably mounted within drum 22 in any suitable manner not shown, to permit replacement as the need arises.

The scraper hammers 56 are disposed next adjacent the wear plates 66 and in such a manner as to maintain the innermost face of plate 60 clear of the material being handled by the apparatus, as the rotor including shaft 20 and its associated parts, rotate within the cylinder 22.

The bosses 58 on the scraper hammers 56 are disposed next adjacent the proximal disc 34 to the end that the scraper hammers 56 are held in a position where they will effectively maintain plates 60 in a clean condition.

It is apparent that the number of hammer pins 44 that are used, as well as the number of hammers 46, 50 and 56, is not particularly important to this invention, but it is contemplated that two hammers 56 be provided for each plate 60 and that the hammers 56 at one end of the rotor, be

offset with respect to the hammers 56 at the opposite Aend of the rotor. It is also to be noted that all of the hammers on one hammer pin 44, are offset with respect to the hammers on the pin 44 next adjacent thereto.

The material enters the inlet opening 30 of the cylinder 22 by force of gravity and immediately is contacted by the hammers 46. The fan-like hammers 56 create a suction within the cylinder 22 from the inlet opening 36 to the outlet opening 32, thereby forcing the material toward the wall 26. Fan blades 54 also serve to force the finished product from the cylinder 22 through the outlet opening 32 and since the same are disposed substantially perpendicular to the hammers 46, the material is positively treated and torn into shreds throughout the circumference and length of each individual stem that enters the cylinder 22.

Through actual use of the shredder forming the subject matter hereof, to tear and further pulverize crops that have previously been cut into relatively short lengths, it has been determined that the temperature of dehydrators can be reduced from approximately l500 F. to as low as 800 F. The temperature of the finished product consequently is reduced from about 300 F. to 200 F. Also the capacity of the dehydrator is increased tremendously and fuel reduction is approximately one-third. Furthermore, by retention of the carotene and vitamin A content of the finished product through lowered temperatures thereof, the apparatus forming the subject matter hereof has proved to be invaluable.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

In a crop shredder, a rotor comprising anelongated shaft; a plurality of parallel plates; spacers between the plates, said spacers and said plates all being threaded on the shaft; a number of pins joining' the plates at the peripheries thereof in parallelism with the shaft; and a number of elongated, flat hammers carried by each pin respectively within planes parallel with the plates, said hammers being loosely arranged between proximal plates for free swinging movement on vthe pins, the hammers for a portion of the length of said rotorand at one end of the latter, each having an elongated, flat blade secured'to one 5 longitudinal edge thereof Vand extending out- Wardly from the peripheries of the plates, rendering the same T-shaped in cross-section throughout a portion of the lengths thereof.

ELMER. C. SMALL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 334,098 Woodburn Jan. 12, 1886 529,874 Parker Nov. 27, 1894 561,744 Witmer June 9, 1896 812,122 Fassett Feb. 6, 1906 Number Number l5 239,258

Name Date Keller Mar. 4, 1924 Nelson Apr. 29, 1924 Prater July 6, 1926 Duvall May 21, 1929 Clement Sept. 17, 1929 ONeill June 17, 1930 Braun Dec. 9, 1930 Elderkn J an, 20, 1931 Nelson Apr. 7, 1931 Credell Oct. 3, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Switzerland Jan. 3, 1946 

